Frey Ranch presented with Small Business of the Year award

They’ll drink to that! 

The Frey Ranch Distillery of Fallon has won the 2022 Nevada Agriculture, Food and Beverage Small Business of the Year award.

At a presentation Jan. 26, Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea and Brad Scribner of Made In Nevada presented owners Colby and Ashley Frey with a certificate and a wooden plaque in the shape of Nevada. The annual award recognizes the work of agriculture, food and beverage industries in Nevada.

“I want to thank the Freys. I couldn’t be more honored to be here today,” Goicoechea said. “They make straight bourbon, straight rye, and single barrel whiskeys. (They’re) housed in a 165-year-old working ranch that produces its crops of corn, wheat, rye, barley and oats 100% of which go right into these (whiskey) products.”

According to the NDA, nominations for Frey Ranch recognized the operation “as a true farm to glass operation and one of only four estate distilleries in the country. Their involvement and service in giving back to the community as well as being a tourism hub for Churchill County and contributing to the economy and workforce with 25 employees were also recognized.”

The distillery was selected from 15 nominees in Nevada ranching, food, manufacturing and beverage company categories.

“It’s a big honor,” Colby Frey said. “Ashley and I were looking for ways to really showcase the crops that we have always grown in my family and we thought what better way to do that than to make it into whiskey?”

“Let’s take a moment to thank all of our team members for really helping us get to this point,” Ashley Frey added. “Being the number one whiskey in the state of Nevada in the ultra-premium category is such an honor and something we’ve only dreamed of. We really want to thank all of our supporters.”

The Freys’ estate distillery first introduced brandy in 2013 and then the following year, introduced its first batch of vodka at the 1,200-acre ranch 12 miles south of Fallon.

Whiskey, though, is their first love. At the end of 2020, the Freys entered the California market, first in the northern part of the state and then in Southern California.

The distillery has grown its own grains for its spirits, but the initial staples of the ranch such as wine, brandy, gin and vodka were discontinued for the whiskey product.

“I always thought of myself as a whiskey distiller,” Frey said in a previous LVN article. “Our whiskey is an average of five years old. We knew we could compete on a national level.”

Located at 1045 Dodge Lane in Fallon, the distillery hosts complimentary whiskey tastings and distillery tours every Saturday from noon to 4 and no reservations are needed.